Nowadays, when it comes to a true disappointment in the world of sports, Mike Tyson’s loss to James ‘Buster’ Douglas is always the first choice. For many, Douglas’ ‘destruction’ of the undefeated heavyweight champion is the biggest sports story ever, one that few could have imagined.
Mike Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in history with a perfect 37-0 record at the time, was knocked out by the world’s 7th-ranked heavyweight in a brutal match at the Tokyo Dome, Japan.
However, the fall of the American legend was somewhat predictable due to the party lifestyle he was enjoying at the time, compounded by the personal issues he was facing in his life. When he fell in Japan, Tyson was over 13 kg heavier and suffering from depression following the collapse of his marriage to Robin Givens. He had barely trained for the clash with Douglas because he had parted ways with his long-time trainer Kevin Rooney. Instead, he spent his nights partying and singing with geishas.
Reflecting on his time in the Land of the Rising Sun, Tyson said, “Alongside the encounters with the hotel maids, I also met young Japanese girls, and whatever was going to happen, happened. When Robin went out shopping, I went to another room in the hotel where a girl was waiting. That’s how I trained for the fight with Douglas.”
When the fight began, Douglas remained calm and moved wisely to neutralize Tyson’s techniques and landed precise blows on ‘Iron’ Mike. In the 8th round, Douglas was knocked down once but managed to get up at the count of 9.
In the 10th round, it was Tyson’s turn to fall after taking a series of punches to the face from Douglas. Tyson’s mouthguard flew out. ‘Iron’ Mike tried to get up with one swollen eye, but Mexican referee Octavio Meyran counted to 10. Douglas won by knockout.
It was the first time Tyson was knocked out in his 5-year professional career, but he still earned $6 million in prize money, while Douglas received only $1.3 million.
